‘The Skeleton Twins’ gets rave reviews!

Yesterday one of the most anticipated films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, The Skeleton Twins, premiered – to rave reviews! The story centers on twins Maggie (Kristen Wiig) and Milo (Bill Hader) and how their suicide attempts get them to reunite after a long time. As the twins’ reunion reinvigorates them both, they realize the key to fixing their lives may lie in fixing their relationship with each other. Both stars received fantastic reviews for their performances, with critics describing their dramatic turns as “knockout performances”, “superb” and “impressive”. Unfortunately, Kristen was unable to attend the premiere due to a last-minute bout of strep throat, but after hearing about how both critics and audiences loved the film, she might be feeling a bit better already. Read some excerpts from reviews below!

“Sibling bonds are fertile territory for indie dramedies, but “The Skeleton Twins” distinguishes itself from the pack with a pair of knockout performances from “Saturday Night Live” veterans Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. This character-driven crowdpleaser also reps a step toward the mainstream for sophomore helmer Craig Johnson. Prime acquisition bait should have no trouble scoring in specialty release, with a shot at crossover success thanks to the winning work of its stars. If Hader has the benefit of slightly more screen time, Wiig is no less impressive as a woman quietly falling completely apart. Having finally found a nice guy, Maggie is utterly at a loss as to how to proceed and can’t help but sabotage her chance at a “normal” life. There has always been a touch of sadness to Wiig’s comic characters, and she nails Maggie’s hushed desperation and more explosive acts of frustration.”
– Geoff Berkshire, Variety

“If you’re going to juggle despair and humor in a story about two emotionally unstable, occasionally suicidal adult siblings who keep tripping up on the disappointments of their lives, it’s tricky to find a tone that’s neither too whiny nor too glib. But Craig Johnson’s delightful The Skeleton Twins gets it right. Warm, funny, heartfelt and even uplifting, the film is led by revelatory performances from Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, both of them exploring rewarding new dramatic range without neglecting their mad comedic skills. This one seems a strong contender to join the club of Sundance discoveries that went on to hurdle the indie niche.”
– David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

“Thanks to their years on “SNL” together, Hader and Wiig have a well-honed comic chemistry that culminates in an epic, choreographed lip-syncing performance set to Starship’s power ballad “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” which will surely be the most talked-about scene in the film. Both actors displayed strong dramatic chops, with Hader showing impressive range in his performance.”
– Jeff Sneider, The Wrap

“Hader received a significant amount of buzz before the film’s Sundance Film Festival opening and while the talented comedic actor does display some serious dramatic chops, it’s Wiig who is the real surprise. In her previous indies, Wiig seemed to play it a bit too subtly, too seriously, in order to tell the audience, “Hey, understand, I’m not gonna be funny here.” That might not have been a conscious decision on her part, but that’s what the work conveyed. In “Twins,” Wiig does a superb job of balancing both the serious moments and the comedy without making either seem forced. You clearly understand Maggie’s conflict with her seemingly “perfect” life and that’s mostly thanks to the “Bridesmaids” star. Wiig was perfectly fine in Ben Stiller’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” last year. In “Twins,” she’s turned the corner into impressive.”
– Gregory Ellwood, HitFix

“You wouldn’t necessary expect a movie about depressed twins on the brink of suicide to be a crowd-pleaser, but The Skeleton Twins pulled off that feat at Sundance today thanks to its dynamic starring duo of Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. Audiences were buzzing about Hader’s surprisingly skilled dramatic turn — as a self-lacerating gay man, he handles his first major lead role with aplomb — but there’s plenty of dark comedy here, too, which the ex-Saturday Night Live stars obviously excel at. And nowhere is that tricky blend of comedy and tragedy better navigated than in the film’s showpiece sequence, an epically choreographed lip-sync to Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” Hader busts out slick moves and works the room like a contestant up for elimination on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and even though you know that the eventual reconnection is coming — these twins know exactly which buttons to press to get the other to fall in line — Wiig so masterfully underplays her last-minute decision to join this one-sided duet that the Library Theater burst into delighted cheers when the moment finally came. It’s the scene in the movie that you’re going to be searching for on YouTube four years from now.”
– Kyle Buchanan, Vulture

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